The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care (Royal Commission) was established in 2018 to investigate children, young people, and vulnerable adults’ experiences of abuse and neglect in State and non-State care between 1950-1999.
The Report
The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry has released its final report – Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light.
The report is the result of the largest and most complex Royal Commission public inquiry ever held in New Zealand.
The Ministry of Disabled People – Whaikaha acknowledges the courage of all those who shared their experiences with the Royal Commission.
Disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori, Deaf and Turi Māori were a significant focus in the inquiry.
The Ministry is working with our colleagues from across government to understand the report and its recommendations. This is a large report, and it is important that we give it the time it deserves.
This cross-agency work is being overseen by the Crown Response Unit (CRU).
Read Whanaketia – through pain and trauma, from darkness to light.
The report is available on the Royal Commission website.
The Inquiry are working on making a full suite of alternative formats available.
Much of the content presented in the report contains explicit descriptions of tūkino - abuse, harm and trauma - and may raise difficult emotional responses for readers.
Crown Response to the Abuse in Care Inquiry
Find out more about the Government’s response to the Inquiry here:
Support resources, cabinet papers and news updates are available in alternate formats:
- Alternate formats: Support resources and information releases external URL
- Alternate formats: Newsletters external URL
To receive updates on the Government’s response to the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry, please email contact@abuseinquiryresponse.govt.nz with 'panui' in the subject line and you will be added to their database.
Crown Response Plan to the Abuse in Care Inquiry
The Government has now released its response plan to the Royal Commission into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions.
The document details the response to the 207 recommendations for the Crown made in the 2021 redress report and the 2024 final report. It highlights work already undertaken by the Government and government agencies and sets out next phases of work to respond to further recommendations.
Some recommendations have already been completed, but because of the number and complexity of recommendations the Crown response will take many years. Progress on the recommendations will be reported on annually.
Over the next year the government’s priorities are redress, decisions on how state care is delivered, and actions to strengthen care safety and improve the justice system.
There are no Royal Commission recommendations directly for Whaikaha. However, we have an interest in the implications of the recommendations in relation to disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori, Deaf and Turi Māori as they were exposed to higher levels of abuse than non-disabled people, and disabled people are still overrepresented across all care settings.
The Ministry has been involved in advising on the Government’s response and will continue to support the work by helping redress agencies make their processes easier for disabled people to access and contributing to making the care system safer for disabled people in all State care settings.
Our wider work will also contribute to the response. The Royal Commission highlighted the importance of supporting people in care and their whānau to more effectively participate in decisions that affect them. We have worked with an advisory group to create a website with practical resources to support disabled people and others requiring support to make their own decisions in key areas of their lives. The website will be launched in mid-2025.
You can find out more about the Government’s response to the inquiry here external URL .
Survivor Experience Service
The Survivor Experiences Service external URL aims to provide a safe, supportive, confidential place where survivors of abuse in care, and their whānau, can share their experiences.
Through the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry, a number of survivors expressed their need for a service to share their experiences, between the closure of the Royal Commission and the time when a new, independent redress system is established.
The Survivor Experiences Service was designed to meet this need.
Support is available
If you or someone in your close circle needs support, help is available.
Information on services that offer free support, information and help can be found here:
If you are concerned about a disabled person being abused or neglected, you can find information on who to contact here: